Magazine mounting means for automatic firearms



B. MAlLLARD 2,722,865

MAGAZINE MOUNTING MEANS FOR AUTOMATIC FIREARMS Nov. 8, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 5, 1952 Nov. 8, 1955 MAILLARD 2,722,865

MAGAZINE MOUNTING MEANS FOR AUTOMATIC FIREARMS FiledJuly 3, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q MR M ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,722,865 MAGAZINE MOUNTING MEANS FOR AUTOMATIC FIREARMS Bernard Maillard, Geneva, Switzerland, assignor to .Society Brevets Aero-Mecanlques S. A., Geneva, Switzerland, a society of Switzerland.

Application July 3, 1952, Serial No. 297,059 Claims priority, application Luxembourg July 10, 1951 6 Claims. (CI. 89-63) The present invention relates to automatic firearms to which ammunition is fed by means of cartridge magazines detachably secured on the firearm or on a fixed carrier element with respect to which the firearm proper recoils against the action of an elastic system every time a shot is fired. In what follows, the expression magazine fed automatic firearm designates the whole of the firearm proper, the magazine for feeding "ammunition thereto and the elements (in particular the magazine carrier) of the removable fixation system which temporarily keeps the magazine in working position. The invention is more especially, although not exclusively, concerned with antiaircraft firearms.

The chief object of my invention is to provide a firearm of the type above referred to which is better adapted to meet the requirements of practice than those known up to the present time and in particular which is arranged to facilitate the operation of fitting a fresh magazine on the firearm.

My invention is concerned with firearms provided, in order to hold the magazine in position, with a fixation device including in combination, at the'front, cooperating socket and projection means and, behind said means, a retractable holding belt for keeping said socket and projection means in engagement, the fitting in position of the magazine ending by a pivoting thereof about the transverse line or area along which said socket and projection means engage each other, to bring said magazine into the position where it can be held by said bolt.

The essential feature of my invention consists in providing, ahead of the socket and projection means, a hooking system for supporting and positively guiding the magazine during the period for which the above mentioned projection is to be engaged into the socket with which it is intended to cooperate whereby the fitting of the magazine is greatly facilitated, especially when the firearm is pointed upwardly at a steep angle, as in anti-aircraft firing, the action of gravity being then sufficient to swing the magazine into position once the cooperating partsof the hooking system have been brought into mutual engagement.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be hereinafter described with reference to .the accompanying drawings, given merely by way of example, and in which:

Figs. 1 and.2 show a magazine fed automatic firearm, the magazine being shown in Fig. 1 in an intermediate position as it is being fitted, whereas Fig. 2 shows it fitted in firing position.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line III-III of Fig. 4 of a booking system according to my invention.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectionon the line lV-lV of Fig. 3.

An automatic firearm according to my invention includes for instance, according to a conventional arrangement, a firearm proper A :slidably mounted (in the longitudinal direction) with respect to a support S so that it can recoil with respect thereto, and a magazine carrier G rigid with said support 5 and on-which the magazine C is to be detaehably fitted.

2,722,865 Patented Nov. 8, 1955 "ice In the construction shown by the drawings, the walls 1 of magazine C intended to guide the cartridges successively into the firearm carry at their front ends two projections or tenons 2 adapted to fit in corresponding sockets formed under rearwardly extending projections 3 carried by magazine carrier G.

Magazine C carries, at the rear of its walls 1, a rearward projection 4 adapted to fit, when the magazine is in firing position, under a latch bolt or catch 5 adapted to be retracted by means of a lever 6 said latch bolt and lever being mounted on the magazine carrier, at the rear part thereof.

With the conventional construction, which includes only these elements, the fitting of a fresh magazine on the firearm is a rather difficult operation, especially when the firearm is pointing upwardly at a steep angle, for instance for firing on aircraft, and for the following reasons.

The gunner, holding the magazine with both hands, must introduce walls 1 into the corresponding aperture of the firearm, push tenons 2 under projections 3 to have them fully engaged into the sockets provided for them under said projections, and simultaneously cause the magazine to pivot rearwardly until the sloping underface 4a of projection 4 pushes back latch bolt 5, after which said latch bolt returns under the action of its-spring into the initial position, where it locks the magazine in posi tion.

In view of tthe fact that a magazine full of cartridges is relatively heavy, this succession of operations which, during fighting, should be performed as quickly as possible, is relatively difficult to perform correctly, especially when the firearm is pointing upwardly at a speed angle and the whole weight of the magazine is to be supported by the gunner.

My invention consists in providing a device as above described with hooking means for supporting and positively guiding magazine C during its pivoting movement (about a theoretical axis located close to parts 2-3).

Preferably, such hooking means are constituted by providing magazine C and magazine carrier G respectively with complementary cooperating elements i. e. a-male element engaging a female element) located at a short distance ahead of the tenon and socket means 3-2 and arranged so as to enable tenons 2 to move around projections 3 of the magazine carrier and to guide them into engagement with the sockets formed under these projections 3 without enabling the magazine to have prejudicial transverse displacements.

With such an arrangement, the gunner merely has to hook the magazine on the firearm, after which, under the efiect of gravity, and owing to the guiding action above referred to, the magazine comes by itself into firing position. During most of its displacement, i. 'e. until tenons 2 have completed their movement around projections 3, the magazine has a pendular motion in the course of which it is held (in the longitudinal direction) by the hooking device, whereas the second portion of saiddisplacement includes a movement of the magazine toward the front (due to the cam action of bolt 5 on projection 4) which achieves the full engagementof the tenonslin their sockets while the hooking elements which up to then had cooperated together are moved away from each other.

According to the embodiment of my invention illustrated by Figs. 3 and 4, I provide, on the front wall of magazine C and immediately above'tenons 2-, a T-shaped hooking member 7 adapted to cooperate with a .U-shaped holding member 8 rigid with magazine carrier, G and located above and ahead of projections}, the branches of the U formed by the inner edge of said members being advantageously inclined frontwardly and upwardly," and the distances between these U forming edges being smaller than the lentgh of the head 7a of T-shaped member 7. Thus, once member 7 has been engaged with member 8, the magazine is supported by the ends of head 7a bearing against the branches of member 8.

Advantageously, as shown by the drawing, the top portions of the branches of member 8 have their inner edges oblique so as to form guiding edges leading to the U-shaped slot intended to receive T-shaped member 7.

When the head 7a of piece 7 is applied against the front faces of the branches of member 8 (position shown by Fig. l), tenons 2 can pass around projections 3 and come opposite the sockets provided under these projections and into which said tenons are to be engaged fully when the magazine is in firing position.

The operation of fitting a magazine on the firearm takes place as follows:

The magazine is first brought into a position (shown in dotted lines by Fig. 1) such that hooking member 7 is engaged in holding member 8. When member 7 has dropped into the central slot of member 8, the walls 1 of the magazine are located opposite the corresponding aperture provided in firearm A;

The magazine is then allowed to swing downwardly and rearwardly. In the course of this movement, where the magazine is guided laterally, tenons 2 move round projections 3 and the magazine is finally in the position shown in solid lines by Fig. 1.

Finally, immediately after the above described movement, projection 4 temporarily pushes latch bolt 5 into retracted position and, under the effect of an inclined surface (which is constituted for instance by a portion of said bolt 5 at the end of its retraction movement, or by a surface carried by magazine carrier C), the magazine is given a frontward displacement of some millimeters which fully engages tenons 2 into their sockets provided under projections 3 and simultaneously moves the head 7a of hooking member 7 away from holding member 3 (posi tion shown by Fig. 2) and the magazine is now in firing position.

It should be noted that the device above described facilitates not only the fitting of the magazine on the firearm but also its removal therefrom.

To perform this operation, the gunner retracts with one hand the latch bolt and with the other hand he takes hold of the rear handle of the magazine to pivot it about holding member 8. This movement releases projection 4 from under bolt 5 and tenons 2 from their sockets under projections 3. The gunner can then release lever 6 and apply both hands to the magazine to disengage it from holding member 8 and remove it.

In a general manner, while I have, in the above description, disclosed what I deem to be practical and efiicient embodiments of my invention, it should be well understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto as there might be changes made in the arrangement, disposition and form of the parts Without departing from the principle of the present invention as comprehended within the scope of the accompanying claims.

What I claim is:

1. An automatic firearm which comprises, in combination, a fixed support, a firearm proper slidable for recoil with respect to said fixed support, a cartridge magazine to be detachably fixed to said support above said firearms, cooperating socket and projection means rigid with said support and the front part of said magazine respectively for pivotally interconnecting said two last mentioned elements about an axis transverse to the line of firing of said firearm, said projection being adapted to engage said socket by frontward displacement of said magazine with respect to said support parallel to said line of firing, cooperating abutment means carried by said support and the rear of said magazine respectively for holding said socket and projection means in tight engagement together, an elastically retractable bolt for preventing transverse displacement of the rear part of said magazine away from said support, and distinct cooperating hooking and holding means rigid respectively with said magazine and said support just ahead of said socket and projection means for supporting and laterally guiding said magazine with respect to said support during the rearward pivoting of said magazine to bring said projection means opposite said socket means.

2. An automatic firearm which comprises, in combination, a fixed support, a firearm proper slidable for recoil with respect to said fixed support, a cartridge magazine to be detachably secured to said support above said firearm proper, at least one tenon rigid with said magazine and located at the front thereof, at least one rearward projection rigid with said support so as to form under it a socket extending substantially in the direction of the line of firing of said firearm, said socket being adapted to cooperate with said tenon, a rearwardly extending projection carried by the rear end of said magazine, a retractable latch bolt carried by said support at the rear of said magazine so as to cooperate with said last mentioned projection, and cooperating hooking and holding means rigid respectively with said magazine and said support just ahead of said tenon and the first mentioned projection for supporting and laterally guiding said magazine with respect to said support during the rearward pivoting of said magazine to bring said tenon opposite said socket.

3. A firearm according to claim 2 in which said hooking and holding means include two complementary elements, one male and one female, rigid with said support and said magazine respectively and arranged to enable, when these elements are in engagement with each other, said tenon to pass round said first mentioned projection and to come opposite said socket, when said magazine is pivoted about the line of engagement of said two elements with each other.

4. An automatic firearm which comprises, in combination, a fixed support, a firearm proper slidable for recoil with respect to said fixed support, a cartridge magazine to be detachably secured to said support above said firearm proper, at least one tenon rigid with said magazine and located at the front thereof, at least one rearward projection rigid with said support so as to form under it a socket extending substantially in the direction of the line of firing of said firearm, said socket being adapted to cooperate with said tenon, a rearwardly extending projection carried by the rear end of said magazine, a retractable latch bolt carried by said support at the rear of said magazine so as to cooperate with said last mentioned projection, a holding member rigid with said support just ahead of said first mentioned projection, this member having its front surface substantially flat and inclined upwardly and frontwardly with respect to the firearm proper, and being provided with a median slot, and a T-shaped hooking member rigid with said magazine above said tenon and extending ahead thereof, the head of said member, corresponding to the bar of the T, being longer than the width of said slot.

5. An automatic firearm according to claim 4 in which the branches of the holding member have inner edges which diverge from each other above said slot, so as to guide the hooking member toward said slot.

6. An automatic firearm according to claim 2 which comprises, carried by the magazine, at the rear thereof, an inclined surface adapted to cooperate with said latch bolt, for moving the magazine frontwardly at the end of its pivoting movement, so as to engage the tenons in their sockets of the magazine carrier and to move the hooking member slightly away from the holding member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,447,860 Johnson Mar. 6, 1923 1,611,289 Soncini Dec. 21, 1926 2,010,742 Sutter Aug. 6, 1935 

